The Beverly Hills City Council on Sept. 21 will consider an extension of the North Canon Drive closure and will review the city’s OpenBH program. Each of the two items will be presented separately to the City Council.

City staff will recommend extending the closure of North Canon Drive, approved by the City Council in 2018, and maintaining a cul-de-sac and sound wall at Wilshire Boulevard until September 2022. If approved, the closure will mitigate construction noise and provide a safe, consistent traffic pattern while the Metro Purple Line Extension rail project is under construction, staff said. The rail project includes two stations in Beverly Hills at Wilshire/La Cienega and Wilshire/Rodeo.

City staff will then revisit the project with the City Council in the summer or fall of 2022 to consider whether to extend the closure.

The other item pertains to OpenBH, a city program that has supported outdoor operations allowing businesses to temporarily expand services outside during the COVID-19 pandemic. Local businesses participating in the program have been able to utilize adjacent areas such as sidewalks, parking lots, parking meter spaces and areas in adjacent closed streets by applying for a permit. The current OpenBH program, available free, is approved through Dec. 31.

At the Sept. 21 meeting, the City Council will consider the process for approval and review of the OpenBH program after Dec. 31, and will evaluate the cost and fees for businesses. The council will also consider whether the outdoor dining tents at the North Canon Drive cul-de-sac will be permitted to continue in the OpenBH program, and for how long.

For information, visit beverlyhills.org/councilmeetings.